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Château de Montfort-sur-le-Fleuve
The Château de Montfort-sur-le-Fleuve is a small chateau along the Armançon River. Because of its location near a particularly thin part of the river, it is called "Montfort on the Stream." It is currently owned by House Le Tellier. History A mostly wooden fortification was first built on the location by the Romans shortly following their invasion of Gaul, however the vast majority of the Roman structure was destroyed by the second century AD. What remains of this is now in the servants' quarters, where a small wall segment dates from the only stone structure in the fort, built in a darker stone than the rest of the structure. Following the destruction of the Roman fortification, the site was left for several centuries until the 10th century, when a noble family known as the House Saint-Simon. The construction began in 931, starting with the digging out of a small moat by the river around a stone foundation sitting upon a low-lying island. By 954, the moat had been surrounded on three sides by a small stone wall, which was surrounded on all sides by a courtyard. The area was enclosed by a wall, which connected to another wall across the river by means of a large tower. The keep originally stood at 4 stories with a crenelated roof, matching that of the surrounding walls. Unlike most chateaux of the time, Montfort was not designed to protect a nearby village. Instead it was designed to be a source of profit. Monfort's situation along the Armançon river was known very ideal position for one thing: tolls. Being a particularly narrow spot in the river, it was easy to control, and it was the only river route for miles in either direction. This made the river vital for trade and other travels. The Saint-Simons used this to their advantage with Montfort. To even further fortify the castle, the crenelations along the roof of the keep were taken down in favor of a wooden form of machicolation, used to encompass a donjon on 3 sides. The chateau was nearly impregnable, being managed by the Comtes de Revillac. That being said, however, the toll tower's use would not be for as long as intended. By the 1320's, House Saint-Simon had spent far too much money trying to remain at court.In doing so, the upkeep of many of their chateaux became a very heavy burden. Montfort was the first to get hit by the cut-backs, the north bank wall being essentially abandoned. This was the beginning of the end for the Saint-Simon hold of the river. The Armançon became obsolete for a time when a canal bypassed it in the 1340's, causing another cut-back. Only the gates were cared for for several years, leaving the walls to slowly overgrown and become delapidated. Even though the canal that caused such strife was abandoned by 1387 as it became too costly to manage, Montfort would not recover from what it once was. In 1432, a drawing was made of Montfort, detailing the extent of the ruin that had taken over. A once 6 meter tall outer wall with very tall towers at gates had been reduced to a pile of stones with only the towers remaining. The towers were still kept to maintain control of the river, however this would slowly become far too much for the Saint-Simons to bear. The towers were suddenly abandoned after an earthquake slammed the area. The keep was able to remain intact, but the towers on the riverbank completely cracked, internally collapsing. The gatehouse survived only a few more years before becoming little more than a mound. Only the keep remained in its continued glory. The chateau did not change until 1572, when the wooden panels of the vast majority of the rooms were removed. It is not completely clear as to why, but a letter kept in the chateau library says that at least one of the rooms had the panels removed because they were rotten apart. Being unable to afford replacing the wooden panels, the Saint-Simons decided to whitewash and plaster the old walls. From then, the chateau was largely left to upkeep. After the gatehouse was torn down in 1648 to sell the stone materials, a small gate was places in the ruins of the foundations. In 1742, the House Saint-Simon were forced to sell the chateau to pay off debts. The chateau was sold to Louis-Michel Le Tellier, the Marquis de Louvois. Other Names (and their meanings) Montfort-sur-le-Fleuve has several names, however the most common is as mentioned, though it is sometimes simplified to Montfort, especially by those who own it. Most of the other names are used in jest or by the superstitious. Montfort-sur-le-Fleuve, the official name of the chateau, is in direct reference to its location. Montfort means "Mountain Strong," in reference to its strength of construction. The term, "Montfort" reminds those who hear it that upon the chateau's construction, it was known to be as strong as a mountain. It was called "sur-le Fleuve" because it was positioned on one of the thinnest segments of the Armançon river, it meaning "on the stream." It reminds those who come into contact with the chateau of its strong and imposing purpose on a strategically, yet modestly, position. An alternate name of the chateau is Montfort de Revillac, is a simple reference to its former owner. The Comtes de Revillac owned the chateau for more than 4 centuries. Thus, locals of the area and even some provincials that respected the House Saint-Simon in its height. The first reference of this name was dated to around 1305, as noted in a letter from the Duc de Langres to the Comte de Diois. Another alternate name is reference to its former owners as well: Montfort de Saint-Simon. When Montfort was built, it was representative of how the Saint-Simon line was perceived. As its luxuries and structures fell away, so did the once great House Saint-Simon. One is reminded of Montfort's orignal intention: to make Saint-Simon last forever. With great cost, it failed. That being said, calling it Montfort de Saint-Simon in present is more in lamenting reflection of a once great chateau that remains a shadow of what it once was. Because of this, few people ever call the chateau such a name. In fact, the only reference to this name in recent years was made by another previous owner: Louis-Michel Le Tellier. The oddest name that this chateau possesses is largely among the superstitious: Château du les Souris d'Armançon (meaning Castle of the Mice of the Armançon). This comes from an incident that supposedly occurred to the third owner of the chateau. According to legend, the first Comte de Revillac had an incident involving the wrongful death of a silver workings merchant. The merchant had paid his fare with a silver mouse figurine, more than double the standard fee at the time. Alas the merchant's boat was still bombarded with stones from the second gate guards, as ordered by the Comte for an unknown reason. As his boat slowly sank into the river the merchant was said to have cursed the Comte, whom needless to say he felt had cheated him. He was noted to say "God will watch as you beg for your life, but the last you will see is of the filth you cultivate in this chateau." That very night, it is said that a mouse infestation had made itself known and ate the Comte in his bed, along with his wife and 2 of his sons. The second Comte de Revillac was a small child, who took great care to ensure that a similar fate would not befall him, and ensured that guards followed strict orders and that any and all mice be shoo'd from the chateau through the bridges to safety, rather than killed. Mostly servants call Montfort this name, though the second Marquis de Louvois to own the place supposedly tells this story to his children to remind them of what is right and what is wrong. The silver mouse is hidden somewhere in the chateau, only the owner is ever told where it is, and ordered not to disturb it. Characteristics Montfort's most recognizable feature is the entrance to the tower. It is filled with a rod-iron gate, several murder holes, and the thick wall fortifications in case someone wished to besiege the chateau itself. Because of the lack of funds, very little has changed since the tower's original construction. the entrance to the tower remains original to the building aside from a door, which was replaced twice. The tower was designed for pure functionality, so the layout is relatively simple from floor to floor. The chateau was last altered in the panel removal of 1572, with even a medieval "Court" remaining intact. The most noted rooms of old are said Court and the Solar, a sitting room just below the donjon. Another striking feature is the timber framed donjon and accompanying hoardings. Surrounding the only extant structure sits the mounds of what used to be fortifications. The last surviving bit of fortification not connected to the chateau directly sits a gate with a half ruined, very thin wall.Category:House Le Tellier Category:List of Châteaux __FORCETOC__